It is often desirable to provide sensor systems with enclosures to protect the sensor systems from harsh environmental conditions. The enclosures typically require one or more optical ports to allow one or more sensor systems access to the surrounding environment. An optical port is often made from a less durable material than the enclosures and, accordingly, may be particularly susceptible to structural damage and/or leakage from environmental conditions. The optical structures of the optical port may be sensitive to physical stresses arising from interaction with the mounting and/or sealing structures of the optical port. In addition, installation of the optical port necessitates placement of a hole in the enclosure, and an improperly sealed hole may allow passage of dust, debris, gasses, chemicals, water or other liquid vapors, and other unwanted contaminants between the outside and the inside of the enclosure. Furthermore, the structure of the optical port may allow unwanted transmission or receipt of electromagnetic interference (EMI) from an otherwise EMI-protected enclosure.
One example of a sensor system that requires protection from environmental conditions is a sensor system and enclosure that is mounted to an aircraft. An aircraft is exposed to a wide variety of stressful environmental conditions, such as extremely high or low temperatures and air pressures, extended periods of vibration, high-pressure water contact from pressure washing or rainstorms aloft, chemical vapors from fuel or other environmental factors, elevated levels of EMI, and the like. Any of these environmental stressors, singly or in combination, may be found in a typical operating cycle of an aircraft. Aircraft generally go through thousands of such cycles in a lifetime of service. It is very important for an optical port to resist such environmental conditions and maintain structural integrity of the enclosures, optical ports, and sensor systems. It is equally important for optical ports mounted to ground vehicles to resist harsh environmental conditions.